Paramount Pictures Logo

From a small film production company founded in 1912, Paramount Pictures has come to dominate the world of film. With an impressive collection of blockbuster hits and critically acclaimed movies, Paramount Pictures has gone on to be a big name in the world of entertainment and they show no signs of slowing down.

One factor that has always worked in Paramount’s favor is the highly distinctive look of their logo. Millions of people across the globe recognize the Paramount logo of the mountain rising through the clouds and suchbrand recognitionis very important for any company. As more and more people see their movies, and if those people enjoy said movies, then more and more people are going to actively seek out Paramount movies. This sort of branding success should be considered by everyone that seeks to create a branding empire of their own.

First Logo-The Mountain

The very first logo, which was supposedly drawn on a napkin, was an idealized picture of Ben Lomond Mountain. This mountain was a prominent part of the background for William Wadsworth Hodkinson, the creator of Paramount Pictures, so he decided to make it the logo of his company.

The 24 stars surrounding the mountain are also quite important to note. These stars actually represented the 24 actors and actresses that had signed with Paramount pictures to create movies. As an added point of interest, the number of stars would either grow or shrink on the logo depending on how many actors and actresses were signed on.

2nd Logo-The Painted Mountain

The 2nd logo of Paramount pictures, which was created in 1952 focused much more heavily on the mountain peak than the previous logo which had showed much of the mountain range. This logo also was painted by the studio’s chief painter as opposed to the original logo which had been created using filming techniques.

3rd Logo-Paramount Alone

The third incarnation of the logo, which was created in 1987, remained nearly identical to the preceding ones. While the graphics were vastly improved, the image remained mostly the same. The biggest change was the fact that this logo, instead of being painted, was actually created by CGI.

The stars themselves went through a major change in this logo as well. Instead of remaining static as they had before, the stars actually appeared to fly toward the mountain before settling into the regular spot around the image.

It is also important to note that the “pictures” in Paramount pictures was removed so that the focus is on Paramount alone.

Why The Logo Works

The mountain logo of Paramount is probably so successful for two reasons. First is the fact that Paramount has had over a century to expose people to their logo. Paramount is the 2nd oldest film studio that is still running. That means that generations of people know the brand.

The second reason is probably that the logo is a strong image. A mountain exudes strength and confidence and, as Paramount has been around for so long, the logo works perfectly for them.